Happy Wedding Day

This is my second post today.  Click here for Birthday Splatters.

So, I wanted to use some of the other stamps in my new Hero Arts set, using the colour scheme from The Play Date Cafe:

I wasn't intending to make a wedding card, but when you start off with a heart stamp, there's a fair chance that you'd end up making one.

In it goes to the Hero Arts Stamp Your Story challenge:

And at last I can enter a card into Simon Says Anything Goes without busting on another challenge!

Images Hero Arts AC026 Brush Strokes
Sentiment Printworks Q012 Always & Forver
DP Tim Holtz

Birthday Splatters

I've been lusting after this set from Hero Arts Stamp Your Story collection ever since it was released, but it's been rarer than hens' teeth in the UK.  I finally found it at one online retailer, and it arrived yesterday, just in time for a couple of last-minute entries into the Stamp Your Story challenge.  It's obviously very popular because it's even limited stock at the Hero Arts store.

As I've now got some new arrows, it's going into the CAS-ual Fridays challenge:

And I've got new splatters, so I can have another go at this week's One Layer Wednesday, hosted by Karen:

Splats and Splatters- add them to your card

I've used the colour scheme from ColourQ.  (My splatters aren't that yellow IRL.)

Happy Birthday Arrows

Anita (in France) is providing the inspiration for this week's Muse challenge with this card:

This week's CAS-ual Fridays Challenge is to use arrows:

And Karen from Snippets is hosting this week's One Layer Wednesday, where the challenge is

Splats and Splatters- add them to your card

So I did.  I was going to use a "Way To Go" sentiment, but seeing as the arrows are pointing in opposite directions, it could have been confusing ;)

Arrow from Urban Life, splats from Rubber Stampede.

Set Yourself Free

There's nothing quite so exhilarating as swinging high on a swing - especially when you're a grown-up!  The cue word at CASology this week is FREE:

I also made this card for CASual Fridays Off the Edge, but what with daily hospital visiting, I missed the deadline.  But the good news is, dad's off all the IV tubes so things are looking up.

The image (Unity Stamps) pivots on a brad - here's another pic:

Spice Flowers

This week's One Layer Challenge, hosted by Ardyth, is SPICE GIRLS:

Make a feminine card inspired by a spice, condiment or flavouring! 

Hmm.  Ardyth did a brilliant salt & pepper card.  Obvious other choices are spice colours, but I kept being drawn to star anise, and I was going to do a spiky flower that most represented star anise as we see it in its dried form.  Then I googled the star anise flower, and it's a gorgeous rich pinky red, with some yellow in the centre.  So that's what we have.

I've used the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch:

And at Less is More, it's Happy Birthday to Jen!

Flowers from Paper Smooches, sentiment from Hero Arts.

My dad is improving slightly and responding to treatment.  I'm playing out tonight - a treasure hunt walk around our village.  I'll let you know if I find any!

Kraft Flowers

I've been using those stamps again!  I'm certainly getting my value out of them.  There's a kraft challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show:

And the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World is Vintage Vagabond:

Blogging activity will be sporadic for the foreseeable as my dad's seriously ill in hospital, but I'm hoping to pop up now and again.

Stamps: JOFY Mini 13, JOFY Collection 12
Inks: Versamark Onyx Black, Pentel Hybrid Gel Pen White

Lawnscaping Dimension

This is my second post today.  Click here for my Magenta post.

The challenge at Lawnscaping is to use dimension:

I was asked to make a card utilising the photo from this invitation, so I thought I'd borrow the chevron idea too:

I stamped some rows of chevrons onto spare card then cut the panel and stuck it onto the cardbase, then added extra dimension with the photo, name and numbers mounted on foam pads, and added pearls and glitter dots.

Chevron backdrops - Lawn Fawn
Parker Upper Alphabet Die Set - Memory Box
Large Parker Number Die Set - Memory Box

Butterflies, Dragonflies and Bees

Magenta have a monthly challenge, and this month is a colour challenge:

Here's my card:

I stamped the image twice in brown, and cut out the three butterflies from the spare image to layer onto the main image.  I just stuck the bodies down and lifted the wings for dimension.  I coloured everything in with Tombows and added some Stickles.

Red White and Blue

This week's One Layer challenge, hosted by Cheryl, is red, white and blue.  Tick.

This week's Muse inspiration is provided by Marion.  Tick.

And here's this week's Fusion inspiration.  Tick?

I went for the chevrons in Lesley's photo and masked a flag area, then masked part of that area so that I could stamp the sentiment.  Then I masked the sentiment while I stamped the chevron area.  Because the edges of the chevron area were a bit grungy (I like grungy), I added some bling to help define the points of the flag.

Hero Arts: S5654 Tweed Pattern, CL139 Birthday Messages

Mixed Media Book

This is my second post today.  Click here to see the tag for this gift.

There's a new challenge started called A Mixed Media Colour Challenge, and the little mixed media "artist" in me did a little jig - an excuse to get messy!

I made this book as a commission for an 18th birthday present.  I made the covers from chipboard and applied a layer of gesso before applying three layers of white acrylic paint.  I then painted on streaks of pearlised pink paint.  I stamped some images onto white copy paper and painted a wash of pink pearlised paint over them, cut them out loosely and stuck them onto the front and back covers.  I stamped some more images using Versafine Onyx Black.  Next time I would use Staz-On because the ink didn't dry on the white paint and I smudged a couple of times.  But it all adds to the grunginess ;)  I sprayed the covers with fixative before assembling.

I made several pages for the book from white card, and interspersed with tags made from Tim Holtz double sided DP.  I added stamped images and wise words throughout the book in Versafine Smokey Grey.  Then I assembled the whole thing into a book using my Bind It All and silver comb binding.

I added dimension with a zigzag of silver glue and some pink Pebeo Gloss Touch.  Tied various ribbons and threads to the spine, added some silver beads and two silver ladybird charms and sequin ribbon (you can see the pearl lustre better on this photo than in the last post).

Here's the back cover:

Stamps: JOFY, Stampers Anonymous, Urban Beat, Urban Life

Loll's Candy Flower Tag

Here's another of the flowers from Loll's card candy giveaway, this time added to a gift tag.  (If you're quick, you can enter Loll's latest giveaway for Fun in The Sun candy).

The challenge at The Paper Players is Bring on the Bling.  Any time!

The challenge at A Blog Named Hero is to create a project using a tag:

And I've used the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch:

The sequins are pearlised, which doesn't show up too well on the photo, and the flower centre is glittery.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

The gift tag is to go with a book project which you can see in my next post.

Upcycling #1

I've been upcycling a few things lately.  Not that I need to re-use anything - I've got more supplies than you can poke a stick at.  And I know I'm not the only one ;)

Firstly, the challenges:

CAS-ual Fridays Mapquest - travel related clean and simple project.

Simon Says Transport -Think Trains, Planes, Automobiles, Hot Air balloons, Donkeys etc ,,,,,

So. The panel for this card started life as this 3D project for a Penny Black challenge last June. The flowers, dragonflies and small hedgehog are held between two plates of glass at the front of the frame, and the large panel is at the back of the frame.

The first upcycle was to re-make the back panel using a hedgehog on a scooter, and no sentiment.  As it was a Christening present for my great-nephew I re-coloured the hot pink flowers purple and while I was at it, I moved the dragonflies. I also made a matching card using the same image:

Still with me?  Back to today's card.  Using the original back panel I made a new sentiment in a speech bubble to cover the original sentiment, cut out some grass to add to the bottom of the panel, then cut out the card recipient's name, adding the negative panel to the base of the card.  Here's a small reminder:

Bicycle Made for Two

Another bicycle card.  This one is for Less is More where the challenge is a one layer card with the theme NEED FOR SPEED

Conveniently, the new theme at Simon Says is TRANSPORT

And I've used the colour scheme from this week's ColourQ:

Image Penny Black 40234 Fluffy Passenger

Sentiment Woodware JGS272 The Hedgerow

Yellow Cupcake

I do love to combine challenges.  As you probably know.  So when Susan set the current One Layer Wednesday challenge, Bugaloos: any type of bugs you want to use, I knew exactly which image I was going to use.  So I stamped the image and the sentiment last week and left it uncoloured and unfinished in the hope that another challenge would come along that I could combine with this one.

To the rescue: CASology!

Perfect match!  I decided to stick with different shades of yellow, and almost faltered at the grass, but no, I kept with yellow, and I like how it turned out :)

I added some Stickles on the bees' wings, the candle flame and the, er, bits on the cupcake (you can tell I don't bake cupcakes) then added some baker's twine at the top of the card to balance the design.

Wild Rose Studio CS309 Bees with Cupcake
Hero Arts CL646 Happy Birthday

Besotted with Butterflies

There's a new challenge at Clearly Besotted, and as it's the first challenge, the theme is Anything Goes (as long as you use at least one Clearly Besotted product).  There are digi images available on the website if you don't own any stamps yet.  Stephanie is very generously providing a random prize of five Clearly Besotted stamp sets.

I've used the butterflies from Butterfly Wishes, and co-ordinating dies, and sentiments from Framed Sentiments.

I used the colour scheme from Play Date Cafe:

I scribbled some teal and magenta markers onto a craft sheet, spritzed them and then inked the butterfly stamps to get an artsy watercolour effect.